What happens when a mature woman falls victim to the allure of the modern Asian Ball Jointed Doll? Will the devious doll divas succeed in separating balljointedwoman from her hard earned cash? Which diva will earn herself a new fashion this week? Stay tuned for the latest installment of As the Resin World Turns.

Sunday, August 1, 2010

A Tale of Two Soulkids

A week ago, Ball Jointed Woman leapt at the chance to bid on a Soulkid Mayu on ebay. Why leapt? you ask. Because, when a doll at the top of your Want List becomes available for half what you would pay by ordering her new from the dollmaker, you don't let the opportunity slip through your fingers.

It'strue that when I bought my first Soulkid, Linn, about 3 years ago, I swore I would never buy another. Souldolls are so tightly strung that they fold up on you without warning. Linn came out of her box in a fetal position, and when I opened Mayu's box, her knees were drawn up, too. Don't get too close when you straighten a Souldoll's limbs, because you might take one on the chin for your efforts. Even now, after all this time, I have not had to restring Linn. Where other dolls loosen up in six months, she is still tight, still kicking.

Mayu's arms are resisting my efforts to straighten them. The best I can do is try to pose her in such a way that the crossed arms look natural. I could take her apart and either loosen the knot or replace her elastic; or I can let her loosen up naturally over time. So far the latter course of action (i.e., inaction) is winning.

A comparison of Linn and Mayu (whom I have renamed Linnea) reveals the stylistic refinements SoulDoll has made to the Soulkid body. The new body is slimmer, more mature. Hands and feet show a telltale difference. In the photos below Linn, on the left, has plump, childlike hands and feet and wide ankles. Linnea, on the right, has slim, graceful hands, feet and ankles. Linnea will be able to get her hands through narrower sleeves than Linn can. They won't be wearing the same shoes.

They won't be wearing the same wigs, either. Linn's 7/8 wigs are big on Linnea, while 6/7 wigs are small. I haven't measured her head, but I suspect she is a perfect 7, halfway between the two sizes. I did find one surprising fit: the mohair wig that came with Narae. It looked terrible on Narae, primarily because the color didn't suit her skin tone. Linnea looks like she was made to wear it. It could be, too, that I was predisposed to like a mohair wig on her because Souldoll presents her on their website in an angel cloud of white mohair.

Her former owner sent her to me in an adorable cotton dress that also works well with the wig. I added green glass eyes and cream colored shoes for a perfectly coordinated look. The shoes are made by Goodreau for their BJDs.

One reason that Mayu/Linnea was at the top of my Want List is her similarity to U-noa girls. Looking at her photos, I felt sure she would work well with my U-noas. Here she poses with another recent acquisition, a U-noa L-bi with a faceup by Alisha Boates. His outfit is from Tonner Doll Company, made for Matt O'Neil. His wig, like Linnea's, is from Narin Creative.

What will Linnea wear to the Black and White Party? Oh, goodness, I haven't a clue! It looks like I will have to construct yet another black-and-white outfit. As soon as I finish the one I am making for Innuendo.